


Just One Moment

by vulthuryol



Series: Diamonds in the Sky [3]
Category: Marathon (Video Games)
Genre: Artificial Intelligence, Cyborgs, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 12:39:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13547505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vulthuryol/pseuds/vulthuryol
Summary: The mission goes horribly wrong while investigating a Pfhor base.





	Just One Moment

*  
*  
*

She awoke with a gasp. Cold air rushed into her lungs and the smell alone almost made her want to pass out again. Everything was too cold and it made her chest ache just to breathe. The scents were too strong. She didn’t even know what it was that she smelled, but it was sharp and hurt her nostrils immensely. 

She tried to open her mouth, to pant for air instead of upsetting her sinuses further. But that didn’t work. Apparently the taste buds on her tongue had awoken as well and were too sensitive to even taste the air right now.

Carefully she opened her eyes, only to shut them tight again. Tears were streaming down her cheeks due to the severity of the brightness. She struggled with herself in order to open her eyes again, if only just to squint in order to see where she was. She managed to get a glimpse of the glass container she was held in, the plain white walls of the cubicle around her, and the gaudy rack of robes that were aligned neatly against one of the cubicle walls. Then she screwed her eyes shut. The damn colors on the robes were too bright, too sharp. Her eyes watered up but she managed to calm herself down enough to not start crying again.

At least she knew where she was now. Originally the pattern buffers on the Rozinante were all located out in the open in one large room. That quickly changed over time and the cubicles were built when the humans experienced a ‘true death’ followed by a ‘hundred percent resurrection.’ 

Almace looked down at herself and saw that she was completely nude with only her long hair covering anything. The hair was a result of having the cloned body growing at an accelerated rate. She’ll have to cut her hair back down to the acceptable level later. Right now, she focused on her hands to make sure of her hypothesis.

No calluses from working the metal or tools. No chipped finger nails, no old burns or scars. Even the cuts on her left pointer finger and thumb, that she got two days ago from changing out an air filter, were gone. Her hands were brand new. 

She cautiously ran a hand up the back of her neck and at the base of her head. Sharp clean metal met her fingers. New implants. That will take some time to get used to again. With a sigh she combined everything she had just experienced and came to the sad realization that she had just recently died a death so terrible, there was nothing left of her original body to recover.

Well… Shit.

And Durandal wanted this to be secretive mission as well! She could remember now the last minutes she had on the Rozinante before saving all data from her Jjaro implants onto the pattern buffer. Memories of how the A.I. stressed about sneaking into this Pfhor military base that was parked on a lone but extremely massive asteroid. Calvin, Jason, and her were to hack into the main terminals to find information about something called ‘dangi’ and bring all available data back to Durandal. Then they would cause a little sabotage to the base and make a quick exit.

It seemed like a simple plan. Almost harmless really. So how did she die?

Almace braced her hands against the glass wall. All it took was a slight push before the capsule gave way and allowed her to exit. With shivering feet she hobbled over to the robes and tried to put one on. Despite the fact that the robe was made of the softest fabric the humans could find in the alien market, it still felt weird and uncomfortable at this time. Her skin was raw and as sensitive as newborn babe’s. Her movements were awkward and clumsy. In time she’ll be able to coordinate control of her limbs better. But for now, there was just too much newness within her to have any kind of control. It’s no wonder why babies always scream and cry after they’re born.

A loud ‘thunk’ was heard over the cubicle. The noise was especially loud to Almace’s sensitive ears making her wince and nearly falling over in shock of the sound. She managed to regain control of her footing when a new ‘thunk’ was heard. A yelped “Brother!” was whimpered afterwards with quiet murmurs and soft sobs filling the room.

Her fingers fumbled the knot a few times. But with determination, she managed to get the robe closed. Feeling safer and now less exposed, Almace opened the door to her cubicle and look out into the chamber. To her right she could see that the nearest pattern buffer next to her had been wrenched open and left empty. To the further right of the abandoned pattern buffer stood the last cubicle with a barely dressed Calvin Revenant inside. Clinging to the younger brother like a koala was a shuddering half dressed Jason Revenant.

Calvin lifted his eyes from his traumatized older brother and looked at Almace with a lost confused expression. Clearly he remembered just as little as she did on how they died. But Jason knew. Jason always knew. Every time they had died in the past, Jason could always remember how it happened. Almace could only blame Jason’s weird relationship with Cels for that oddity.

She turned her gaze away to give the brothers some privacy. Only to realize how truly vacant and empty the entire room felt. Furrowing her brow, Almace reached out with her implants and ‘felt’ around the chamber. Not a hint of green was residing in any of the machinery near the pattern buffers. It was only until her conscious neared the door at the far end of the room, did she feel the person that she was looking for.

Durandal’s android stood silently at the door. His neon green eyes were watching them with severe intensity. Despite that gaze, the rest of the android body was loose and unemotional. As if there was nothing inside the humanoid shell to animate it. Almace knew better.

“Hey Durandal.” She called out quietly. Her newborn ears really didn’t want to hear any loud noises yet, even if it was her own voice. “Looks like we really messed that mission up huh?”

The android’s head turned to stare at her but it still emoted nothing for her to read. Almace could be sporting two or three heads right now (and given how unpredictable Pfhor technology was, it could possibly happen) and still Durandal wasn’t responding.

Regardless she tried again. “Don’t worry. We just need a minute. Then we’ll get some of the better gear and heavier armor and take out the Pfhor base. We’ll get your dangi information the old fashion way, which would probably be fun for you to watch at least.” Durandal always did like watching the fireworks.

“You’re not going back.” The android stated with the dullest emptiest of tones before he turned away to leave the room.

“Hey!” What happened next wasn’t triggered by the Battleroid’s programming. She had her orders from a superior A.I. she should follow them. 

No. 

This came from the faint echo of the human she once was before she died three hundred years ago. That was the only way she could explain what had happened next. Before her muddled mind could even process what her body was doing, she was sprinting across the room in record speed. Both of her hands wrapped possessively around Durandal’s right arm and held him in place. 

Despite the suddenness of her actions, the A.I. still didn’t react normally to the situation. Instead he docilely let her lead him back into the room facing the pattern buffers. It was almost as if Durandal was afraid to even touch her. “Durandal…” Almace paused, it was hard for her to figure out what needed to be said in order to help fix this… Whatever this was.

An old memory came to her mind, one that involved her late human self. “My dad always said that you’re gonna fall off the horse from time to time. And it’s gonna hurt like hell and maybe you’ll cry about it too. But that’s okay, because you just need a minute. And when you’re done, you’ll get back on the horse and keep on riding.” 

Almace jerked her head out towards the pattern buffers. “We just need a minute Durandal and then we’ll get back on track. Easy as pie.”

Despite the fact that he still wasn’t willingly touching her, Durandal looked down at Almace’s silver eyes with a hard gaze. “I said you’re not going back to the Pfhor base.” The A.I. repeated harshly.

“Bullshit.”

Yep. The human side of her was clearly in control right now. The Battleroid knew better than to respond like that, especially around him. But… Durandal was acting illogically around her and that was cause for alarm. Reaching out with her Jjaro implants, Almace called out to the A.I. both physically and mentally. “Durandal, what’s wrong?”

The android didn’t move, didn’t even twitch. But the whole ship moved. The floor shook, the walls rattled, the ceiling clanked and groaned. It was if the Rozinante was trying to flinch away from her mental touch. The noise was enough to even startle the two brothers from their embrace by the pattern buffers.

Jason, still clinging to his younger brother like a leech, started to half stumble half walk over to where Almace and Durandal were standing. Calvin followed along, seemly fine with being dragged by his older brother. “Hey man.” Jason murmured out to Durandal tiredly. “You did just great back there. Totally saved the day.” 

“And yet your previous actions as well as your continued behavior suggest otherwise.” The A.I. muttered emotionlessly. “Might I suggest you find some clothes and retire to your rooms before making any further ‘brilliant’ observations?”

Jason let off an amused chuckle followed by “Snarky Durpy is back” before pulling abreast of the tense android.

“Don’t call me tha-”

“Thump!”

Almace, still clinging to Durandal’s right arm, watched with amused sadness as Jason literally glomped the android while still tenaciously clinging to his younger brother. Calvin simply rested himself against Durandal’s left arm, almost mirroring Almace’s pose. The A.I. stuttered into silence and it almost looked as if the android was internally screaming from the close contact.

“You did nothing wrong.” Jason’s voice was slightly muffled since the man had planted his face into Durandal’s stomach. “You wanna blame someone, blame it on the stupid Pfhor who lured us to that asteroid, captured us, and tortured us, while making you watch the whole damn thing.”

A soft gasp came from Calvin and Almace found herself tightening her grip on Durandal’s arm. It had been a trap. The convenience of finding information about dangi in this one location did seem too good to be true at the time. But none of them really took care to look into the matter. So that’s how they died, being tortured for the Pfhor’s pleasure while Durandal was forced to watch from the Rozinante. No wonder Jason wasn’t taking it too well.

Still the elder brother continued talking, as if by reassuring the A.I. of their situation, he could reassure himself. “You did just great Durandal. You saved us all. Just plain awesome.”

“I KILLED YOU!!!” 

The roar came from the ship’s P.A. system. It crackled through the terminals by the doors. And it wailed through the speakers within the android’s throat. It echoed through the Rozinante like the calls of the damned. 

Almace flinched from the harsh sound and clenched her eyes shut. As if she could save herself from sensory overload by shutting out her sight. From the slight jerks she felt beside her, it was obvious to assume that the two boys were faring no better.

“I refused to listen to their terms. In their anger they threw your bodies in front of the cameras and made me watch you be tortured!” The A.I. was openly ranting but his voice was a bit softer now, taking consideration for their newborn ears. Even now the A.I. was afraid of hurting them. “I listened to your screams! I unleashed every weapon the Rozinante had on that damned asteroid! I watched you scream as you died! I killed you! And you think I did good?”

“It was a quick death. Painless.” Jason assured while still clinging to both Durandal and his brother. “You did it in kindness not in cruelty. Not like Tycho.”

An angry disgusted hiss, “I did not feel ‘kind’ at the time.”

“Nor did we, when we had to destroy your core on the Boomer.” Calvin’s rough voice broke through the argument, startling everyone into silence. Almace opened her eyes to see the taller man was resting his head against Durandal’s black hair in exhausted affection. “None of us wanted to kill you that day. Poor Almace was openly crying the whole time.”

“Almace cries when you two idiots break a toaster.”

Calvin continued, ignoring Durandal’s interruption. “And when the Pfhor attacked, you can bet the last thing we felt was kindness when we slaughtered them. As much is I find it hard to believe, Jason is actually right about this Durandal. You saved us.”

A low grumpy grumble came from Durandal’s stomach “A broken clock is right twice a day Cal.”

Almace found herself smiling a little from the lightened tension. She turned her gaze to the Durandal’s questioning neon green eyes. “At least you can say that your orbital bombardment is truly ‘magical’ now that it has saved the day.” She murmured cheerfully.

A strangled sound came from the android’s speakers that sounded neither human nor machine but a strange mixture of both. Then as if someone had just flipped a switch, all the machinery within the room came alive. Almace could feel it within her implants. All the pattern buffers, all the cameras, the scanners, tissue generators, jump pads, and clone fabricators… pretty much everything was now laced with bright neon green code. It was if Durandal had surrounded them with his presence in some vain attempt to keep them safe.

A sharp coldness that lit within her implants confirmed that theory as the A.I. finally made contact with her. She couldn’t help but yelp slightly at the feel of it. From the surprised hissing and twitching that came from the boys, they were feeling it too. It was too soon. Their implants had just been made. There were no firewalls or barriers within their minds to ease Durandal’s presence. But none of them were complaining. They needed this.

The android had stopped being idle as well. Both Almace and Calvin found themselves gripped by the A.I.’s long arms and were now clutched to the android’s chest like teddy bears. Jason, still plastered to Durandal’s stomach, didn’t have to worry about the change in movement but now was squished by Calvin’s and Almace’s bulk. The smaller man let off a soft grumble but didn’t move from his position. Someone’s legs got tangled and before they knew it, they were all on the floor in a massive bundle of awkward bodies.

Calvin let out a laugh from his spot on the floor. He good naturedly gathered both his brother and Durandal to rest upon his lap. He also tried to get Almace, but there just wasn’t enough room. Instead she resumed clinging to Durandal’s right side with her face buried into the android’s neck. 

And there they sat. Calvin was gently humming and soothing old hurts. Jason clung to everyone while trying to forget unwanted memories. Durandal was partially babbling out loud and partially sending wild bursts of untranslatable code throughout the network. Almace winced at the feel of his code within her implants and just held on through out it all. They’ll need to get Durandal a new core soon. Or a new ship. He was growing too big for the Rozinante to hold.

But that will have to wait. Just like the future mission to recover their old armor and weapons from their corpses will have to wait, same with the obtaining and understanding of the dangi information. It will all have to wait. For now… They needed this moment.


End file.
